Adjustable rigging-plate.



C. A. HARRINGTON.

ADJUSTABLE RIGGING PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..4, 1012.

1,040,31 6. Patented 001;. 8, 1912.

WITNESSES comm AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA c.

Allorney CHARLES A. HARRINGTON, OF ELKO, NEVADA.

ADJUSTABLE RIGGING-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8,1912.

Application filed March 4, 1912. Serial No. 681,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. HARRING- 'roN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Elko, in the county of Elke, State of Nevada, haveinvented a new and useful Adjustable Rigging-Plate for Stock and' otherSaddles, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of arigging plate made in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 a similarview showing portions of the front and back rigging straps connectedtherewith.

The rigging for saddles of the class to which my invention relates,consists of a front strap and a back strap, which, respectively, extendrearward and forward toward each other, and are connected usually by asimple ring with the girth.

The object of my invention is to provide a form of connection to takethe place of the ring which will be free from certain serious objectionsto the ring which concern the convenience, of the rider and the comfortand welfare of the horse. In what I consider the best form or embodimentof my invention, it is composed of a plate having a series of straightslots A, B and C in the upper forepart of the plate which extend in adirection at right angles to the pull of the front strap 10, through anyone of which at a time the looped or folded rear portion of the frontstap is passed, and a similar series of slots D, E and F at the upperrear part of the plate, any one of which at a time receives or haspassed through it the folded end portion of the back rigging strap 11,the direction of the slots D, E and F being at right angles to thedirection of pull on the back strap; and intermediate the two series ofslots and in the lower part of the plate there is an eye H whose lowermember J and whose upper member L form the means of connection betweenthe plate and the latigo or tie strap, (which is the strap that isconnected with one end of the cinch,) to enable the latigo to be passedseveral times through the eye H and its free end finally carried overthe upper member L of the eye H, and a hole in the latigo to be passedover the safety pin or tongue G in lieu of the practice of tying thefree end of the latigo.

When the front rigging strap is passed through the slot A, the rearrigging strap is passed through the slot F, while when the front riggingstrap is passed through the slot B, the rear rigging strap is passedthrough the slot E, and when the front rigging strap is passed throughthe slot C the rear rigging strap is passed through the slot D, whichdetermines the adjustment forward or back of the horse; while verticaladjustment is accomplished by passing the respective straps throughcorresponding slots of the respective sets without any change ofdistance between the folds or loops of the straps, this, indeed beingone of the important features of my invention, for whether theadjustment be backward and forward or up and down, I utilize the samebend or fold in the rigging strap under all conditions. After leatherhas once been folded, if a new fold be made, as for the purpose ofadjustment, breakage will quickly occur at the place of the first fold,so that by my invention 1 eliminate danger of damage from such cause.\Vhen the saddle is first rigged the front strap 10 is passed throughthe intermediate slot B and the rear strap 11 is passed through theintermediate slot E so that thereafter adjustment both forward andbackward may be effected. The end of each rigging strap is, as will bereadily understood, inserted through the appropriate slot and thenfolded back upon the strap and the overlapped portions secured togetherin some suitable way, as, for example, by the usual lacing 12, and, ofcourse, I do not limit myself to any particular means of connecting thestraps to the late.

It will be seen that with my invention a wide range of adjustment of thesaddle is possible to suit different horses, or the same horse as hiscondition of flesh changes.

1 have already mentioned some of the advantages of my invention. A veryimportant one, especially in comparison with the simple ring devicecommonly used to connect the rigging and the cinch or girth, is that thesaddle is fixedly or firmly restrained in position upon the horses back,so that, as for example, in roping when the saddle is subjected to astrain that tends to rock it backward there cannot be such backwardturning of the front rigging strap as is the case with the ring as toimpose a heavy pressure or blow upon the back of the horse in the regionof the kidneys, or if it is subjected to a strain which tends to rock itforward the load'will not be thrown on the shoulders of the horse asoccurs where the ring is used and there is a forward turning movement ofthe back rigging strap upon the ring. Again since the plate pro vides anextended bearing surface, the danger of rib sores is eliminated, suchsores being common where the ring device is employed, because the ring,subjecting the flesh of the-animal to pressure in a circle, diminishesthe blood supply to the portion of flesh inclosed in the circle andproduces a condition, by swelling and otherwise, that results in theproduction of rib sores. Still again, making the comparison with thering device, owing to its curvature the fold of the strap about the ringis thickened or bunched so that a localized pressure results upon theflesh of the animal, whereas, with the straight form of bearing for therigging strap, which my straight slots provide, there is no alterationor variation whatever from the normal thickness of the strap, and hence,a smooth flat surface bears against the side of the animal. Should it bedesired to relieve the pressure on .the back of the horse, as forexample, because of a sore condition to be relieved, that can readily bedone simply by placing the front ends of the back rigging straps inslots in the plate farther back, assuming, of course, that originallythe back rigging straps were in forward slots. It sometimes happens thatthe rigging straps on one side of the saddle will stretch because ofdifierences in the straps on opposite sides, which stretching results inimproper placing of the saddle. This condition can obviously be relievedby shifting the point of connect-ion of the longer rigging strap withthe rigging plate.

The rigging plate is preferably made of metal and it will vary in size,thickness and material according to the grade or quality of the saddlewith which it is to be used and variations in form may be made withoutdeparting from my invention. Thus, either the curved form of the uppereye member L may be used, as shown in Fig. l, or the straight form usedas shown in F 2.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a device for connecting therigging and girth of a saddle, the combination of front and back riggingstraps and a plate having an upwardly and forwardly extending series ofparallel slots for the front forming an eye, said eye being locatedbetween said two series of slots.

3. A device for connecting the rigging and girth of a saddle, comprisinga plate having an upwardly and forwardly extending series of parallelslots for the front rigging strap, and having an upwardly and rearwardlyextending series of parallel slots for the back rigging strap, saidplate having spaced members one above the other forming an eye, said eyebeing located between said two series of slots, and a pin or tougueprojecting from the said upper member.

4-. A device for connecting the rigging and girth of a saddle,comprising a plate having an upwardly and forwardly extending series ofparallel slots for the front rigging strap, an upwardly and rearwardlyextending series of parallel slots for the back rigging strap, saidplate having spaced members one above the other forming an eye, said eyebeing located bet-ween said two series of slots, and a pin or tongueprojecting upwardly from said upper member.

5. In a device for connecting the rigging and girth of a saddle, thecombination of front and back rigging straps, a plate having two seriesof points of connection with the ends of said straps, the series for astrap extending in the direction in which the strap extends, and theplate being shiftable with reference to the two straps, and meansintermediate the two series of points of connection of the riggingstraps with the plate, for the attachment of the girth connection.

CHARLES A. HARRINGTON.

lVitnesses:

NELLIE L. ANDERSON, HAYDEN l-lnNDnRsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gammissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

